Exercising apparatus



March 27, 1934. Y w. P. HAYES EXERCISING APPARATUS Filed July l0. 1931 fac Patented Mar. 27, 1934 'UNIT-ao .STATES third to Arthur C. Jackson, vain-t1 'one-third to Maurice Mount Airy, Pa., rest, Philadelphia,

Application .Iuly 10, 1931, ASerial No. 550,013

2 Claims.

y(Ime object `'of this invention is to provide an exercising appartus of the type in which 'a single `person can operate the device. The device is in the form 'of `-a l'everhaving a seat for reception of a single person on one side of its fulcrum, and hand-operated means is provided for raising and lowering the lever by the person occupying the seat.

A further object of the invention is to provide an exercising apparatus of this type with lever mechanism having a handle, and which is operated by a person occupying the seat and moving the handle substantially horizontally.

This invention is particularly adapted as a see-saw for a single child, but it will be understood that it can be used as an exercising apparatus for adults as well, without departing from the essential features of the invention.

These objects I attain in the following manner, reference being had to the following drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view of my improved exercising apparatus with the seat in the elevated position;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, with the seat in the lowest position; and

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the exercising apparatus.

1 is a base made in the present instance of two longitudinal members 2 connected at one end by a cross bar 3, and this base may have a cross bar at the opposite end or may be solid if desired. Projecting from the base are two standards 4 4, which are spaced apart as shown in the plan View, Fig. 3, to receive a main lever 5, which is made of two bars 6, spaced apart. A pivot bolt 7 extends through openings in the standards and through the two bars 6 of the lever and is the fulcrum for said lever. On the long arm of the main lever is a seat 8 for the person operating the exercising apparatus. 'I'he short arm of the lever is connected by a spring 9 to the base 1 by any suitable means. In the present instance the upper end of the spring is attached to a bolt 10, connecting the two bars of the lever 5 and the lower end of the spring engages a bolt 11 connecting the two long members of the base. 12 is a hand-operated lever pivoted at 13 to the main lever 5 and the long arm of this lever, which extends above the main lever 5, is provided with handles 14 which project on each side thereof, which are grasped by the person occupying the seat for imparting movement to the device. The lower or short arm of the operating lever 12, which projects below the main lever 5, is pivotally connected at 15 to a link 16,

which in turn is pivoted at 17 to the standards '4, 'A

pivot 17 of the link is at a greater distance from the pivot 7 of the main lever 5 than the pivot 15 is from the pivot 13 of the operating lever. By this arrangement of levers the angles between the several levers and links, due to the unequal spacing of the pivots, prevents the establishment of a dead center position, and hence the device is capable of being operated regardless of the relative positions of the main lever, operating lever and connecting link. The spring 9 is used as a balance spring and does not in any manner aid in the operation of the mechanism. When the person occupying the seat draws the operating lever towards him in the direction of the arrow A, the long arm of the main lever 5 is raised, lifting the occupant of the seat as the pull upon the operating lever 12 tends to straighten the knuckle joint formed by the lever 12 and the link 16. When the hand operating lever l2 is pushed away from the occupant of the seat, the seat is lowered due to the fact that the short arm of the operating lever tends to place a strain on the link 16, and this movement causes the pivot 13 of the operating lever 12 to turn on the pivot 15 as a center, so that o-n reciprocating the handle the seat is raised and lowered.

The foot rests 18 on the link 16 retain the feet of the operator clear of the door and the operator presses upon these foot rests when the hand operated lever 12 is drawn towards him, so that it is not necessary in this exercising apparatus to use the feet in giving motion to the main lever 5 as in some types of exercising apparatus, as the whole operation is accomplished by the use of the hands. The device is so simple that a child can readily operate it and can derive considerable pleasure in operating the see-saw without another ohild at the opposite end, as in the ordinary see-saw apparatus. The device is compact, and being comparatively narrow, occupies a comparatively small space.

It will be understood that while two standards are shown, in some types of apparatus a single standard may be used .and the main lever may extend on each side of the standard. Also, while I have illustrated the main lever being formed of two longitudinal bars, a single bar may be used and the hand operated lever may be pivoted to one side of the bar or may be forked to extend on each side of the bar. I have not illustrated these details as I believe they do not modify the main features of the invention.

I claim:

1. The combination in an exercising apparatus, of a base; a standard; a main lever pivoted to the standard adjacent the top thereof and having a seat at one end; an operating lever pivoted intermediate its ends to the rst-rnentioned lever in advance of the seat; a handle mounted on the operating lever above the main lever; a link having one end pivotally connected to the operating lever below the main lever, and its opposite end pivotally connected to the standard some distance below the pivot connecting the main lever and standard, the said pivot connecting the link and standard being at a greater distance from the pivot connecting the main lever and said standard than the distance between the pivots connecting the link and operating lever and the pivot connecting said operating lever and said main lever.

2. The combination in an exercising apparatus, of a base; a standard mounted on the base; a main lever pivoted to the standard adjacent the upper end thereof, said lever having a long and a short arm; a seat mounted on the end of the long arm of the main lever, a spring connecting the short arm of the said main lever with the base; an operating lever pivoted to the main lever at a point some distance from the seat and having a short arm extending below the main lever and a long arm extending above said main lever; a handle mounted on the long arm of the operating lever so that the lever can be moved toward and from the occupant of the seat; a link having one end pivotally connected to the short arm of the operating lever below the main lever, and its opposite end pivotally cormected to the standard some distance below the pivot connecting the main lever and standard, the said pivot connecting the link and standard being at a greater distance from the pivot connecting the main lever and said standard than the distance between the pivots connecting the link and the short arm of the operating lever and the pivot connecting said operating lever and said main lever.

WILLIAM P. HAYES. 

